TWO SPIRITS Directed By Ruth Fertig

Indie Express: Tell us about your film?

Ruth: Joey Criddle is a Jicarilla Apache man fighting with other LGBT Native Americans (two-spirits) to reclaim the place of honor that many two-spirits once held prior to colonization. “Two Spirits” follows Joey as he spends time with both of his families-- one in Denver, where he’s the charismatic co-director of the Two Spirit Society there, and one in Mississippi, where he grew up and where his Pentecostal children still live.  Joey's words bridge the gap between the closeted man he was in Mississippi and the two-spirit activist he is today.

IE: How did you come up with the idea for the film?

R: I happened upon an article about two-spirit history, which I found fascinating and was surprised I had never heard about before.  I learned that in many pre-Columbian Native American societies, individuals who embodied a mixture of masculine and feminine qualities were often fully accepted and were sometimes given special spiritual and social roles within the community.   I originally wanted to make a documentary about the two-spirit tradition and how that tradition is being carried on today.  I eventually connected with Joey Criddle, who is co-director of the Denver society.  I met him in Denver to begin shooting.  In the end, the film became much less about two-spirit history and much more about how Joey-- a gay, half Native, half white, former Pentecostal Christian from the Deep South-- has negotiated his complex identity.  

IE: How did you assemble your production team?

R: I am an MFA student in the Film and Video Production program at the University of Texas and my “crew” was myself and another student in the program, Laura Guichard.  I produced and directed the shoots and we took turns running camera and sound.

IE: How did you find your cast?

R: People from various two-spirit societies with whom I spoke recommended I talk to Joey when I told them about my film.  They said he was a really wonderful and friendly person.  When I talked to Joey, he invited me to come film in Denver the next weekend, when the Two Spirit Society would be performing at Boulder Pride and walking in the Denver AIDS Walk.  We flew up there and filmed about ten hours of vérité footage and interviews, after which it became clear that Joey Criddle and a few other members of the society would be amazing subjects for the documentary… So we kept filming with them exclusively. 

IE: How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

R: It took a little over a year from development through final edit.

IE: Tell us a little about your process of directing (writing) this film.

R: When I arrived in Denver to shoot, I intended to keep as low a profile as possible until I got my bearings. Once we got comfortable around each other, I tried to collaborate with my subjects as much as possible to see what they thought it was important for me to film.  Realizing I was an outsider in a very inclusive but tightly-knit group, I tried to film everything as unobtrusively as possible.  I kept my questions and requests during filming with the group to a minimum, reserving them instead for individual interviews.

IE: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

R: The hardest part was being a cultural outsider (I’m not Native American) and questioning why I wanted to make this film and how to do so respectfully and responsibly.  Native Americans have historically been exploited, exoticized and/ or marginalized by the media and I wondered whether it was even possible for me as a non-Native person to avoid doing that in my own film.  Even though I had continual feedback from Joey and the rest of the group, even though I tried to remain as honest and open as possible during filming and editing, and even though they have expressed satisfaction with the finished film, I still struggle with whether my cultural biases have distorted the film’s subjects at all.

IE: Any particular moments from filming that stand out for you?

R: When we were filming Joey in Mississippi, where he traveled for his son’s wedding, I was worried that our presence would make things even more uncomfortable for Joey, who had expressed a sense of unease about returning to the place where he grew up in the closet.  But after a day of filming he actually told us that he was glad we were there, because it was only in our presence that he could actually feel free to act like himself.  That was a wonderful compliment and a relief as well.

IE: Tell us about the film’s festival experience so far?

R: Frameline is the world premiere of “Two Spirits.”  It will be screening at the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in July.  Hopefully there will be more screenings to follow.

IE: What are you most looking forward to at the festival?

R: I am most looking forward to an audience finally being able to see the film.  I think Joey is an amazing man with an incredible message that as many people as possible should hear. 

IE: What has been your most interesting Q&A so far?  What was your favorite question?  How was the dialogue afterwards?

R: I haven’t had one yet!  I would probably throw up.  I don’t like being on stage.

IE: What films or filmmakers inspire you?

R: I love the documentaries of Ross McElwee because he always allows his subjects to breathe on camera.  You get a great sense of who they are and their larger-than-life personalities.  

IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

R: I love history and it comes to life most for me through documentaries.  I originally wanted to do historical documentaries exclusively but living people proved way more interesting in practice. 

 IE: What is next for you? 

R: I’m working on a short documentary about my grandmother’s experience in the Holocaust, based on her memoirs.

IE: What is next for the film?

R: It’s being distributed by Frameline Distribution, which I’m very excited about.  Hopefully that will translate into festival, educational and TV screenings.

IE: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?

R: My advice would be to look elsewhere for advice, because I’m still needing it more than dispensing it.  I guess it would be that even new filmmakers who still need tons of advice can make a good short film if they are passionate about the subject.

IE: What question would you like to be asked about your film? 

R: How can readers learn more about two-spirit culture and activism and how can they get into contact with the Two Spirit Society of Denver?

IE: What is the Answer to that question?

R: Go to the group’s official website, http://www.denvertwospirit.com.  From there you can find links to a ton of other two-spirit related resources, as well as contact info for the group.